Three More Wooster Seniors Receive Fulbright Teaching Assistantships

WOOSTER, Ohio — For the second year in a row and the third time in the past five years,
three seniors from The College of Wooster have been selected as Fulbright Teaching
Scholars.

Paige Ambord, a sociology major from Claremont, Calif.; Rachel Myers, a political
science major from Wooster; and Kelsey Williams, an East Asian studies major also
from Wooster, will spend the next year teaching English overseas.

"We are extremely pleased that our students continue to have success in the national
competition for these prestigious awards," noted David McConnell, professor of anthropology
and Fulbright Program Advisor at The College of Wooster. "This year's award recipients
are a diverse and talented group, and will be wonderful cultural ambassadors during
their time abroad."

Ambord will travel to Turkey where she will be teaching at universities throughout
the country. "I have long aspired to travel and teach at the college level, and this
[opportunity] seemed to best incorporate these two passions," she said. "Beyond that,
the description of the program really appealed to my desire to travel." After the
one-year assignment, Ambord will return to the U.S. and begin a doctoral program in
sociology at the University of Notre Dame.

While at Wooster, Ambord served as a teaching and research assistant in the Department
of Sociology. She also was a First Responder and worked as an intern for the Office
of Interfaith Campus Ministries' "Worthy Questions" mentoring program and an assistant
at the Office of Admissions. In addition, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the
nation's oldest and largest liberal arts honor society, as well as Phi Sigma Tau philosophy
honor society and Alpha Kappa Delta sociology honor society.

Myers spent last spring at Moscow State University in Russia, and will return to that
country to teach at another university this fall. "I am excited about the opportunity
to be in Russia during a critical phase of U.S.-Russian relations," she said. "I plan
to use my international experience to develop my Russian language skills and further
my legal policy aspirations." She plans to attend law school after her year abroad.

During the past four years, Myers was an active member of Wooster's highly successful
moot court team, serving as a captain in her senior year and earning All-American
honors three times. This year she was awarded the Paul Evans Lamale Scholarship in
the Social Sciences and the Cummings-Rumbaugh Government Prize. She was also inducted
into Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society. She served
as president of College Democrats, as well as a research and teaching assistant in
the Department of Political Science and an assistant in the Office of Alumni Relations.

Williams looks to broaden her horizons to South Korea. "In the United States, there
is a tremendous gap in the knowledge of, and research on, Korea," she said. "Learning
about the real-life concerns of Koreans by immersing myself in the Korean culture
will help to inform and guide me along my path of Korean studies. The assistantship
represents a fantastic opportunity through which I can begin to involve myself in
the Korean culture through personal interactions with the Korean community." She plans
to eventually go to graduate school and become a professor of Korean Studies.

While at Wooster, Williams served as an assistant in the Special Collections unit
of the library, a gallery attendant at the Art Museum, and an editor of the Potpourri,
a bi-weekly event publication. She was also a publicity director for Wooster Activities
Crew and a founding member and secretary of Kappa Epsilon Zeta, a women's organization.
In addition, she worked as a mentor for first-year students during their academic
orientation.

The Fulbright Program is the premiere international educational exchange program sponsored
by the U.S. Government. Established in 1946, it is designed to "increase mutual understanding
between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." For nearly
70 years, the program has provided almost 300,000 participants — chosen for their
academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study, teach and
conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international
concerns. The selection of Ambord, Myers, and Williams brings Wooster's total number
of student Fulbright recipients since 2000 to 22.